[Higgs1]

Well I bought new summer tires and had them installed on Friday. I had my winter tires/rims on my car at the time. They shop put the new tires on my summer rims then mounted, balanced and did an alignment for me. All was smooth, took the car back and my steering wheel was shaking all over the place, figured they screwed up the balancing.

Brought it back and they checked it then claimed one of my wheels was bent. So I brought my car to a shop and they took my car in to check all my tires to see how they were, they showed me that 3 of my 4 wheels were bent and recommended I get them all fixed, ok no big deal. Here's the kicker, the tire shop left on 2 of my winter tire hub rings and installed my summer OE rims over them, the guy said they were torqued so tight the hub ring almost fused to the car and he was surprised the tires didn't just snap off.

My question is, is it worth having them re-align the car, would the hub rings being on my car (only on the right side tires if it makes a difference, back and front) or will that not make a difference? Also, I plan on calling and talking to the manager at the tire shop to complain, is there anything I should ask them to do to check my car or anything? I spent close to $1400 on new tires, and the install.

Any help with this is greatly recommended as I've never had a situation like this before.

Car is driving great now though, LOVE the michelin super sports!

[PSEE]

maybe the shop that swapped the tires over didn't even notice the rings - they
may have stuck to the wheels or fallen off when dismounting/mounting the
summer tires? The two that remained likely stuck to the hubs.


Here's a question, Did anyone tell the tire shop about the hub rings? Was it
written in the work order? The tech may have not even noticed them or
assumed you wanted them that way.

I am really confused about the other tire shop tech's comment about how
tires could come off rims as a result of hub rings having been left in place. That
makes no sense...

[cyphr]

It's a moot point whether or not the OP told the tire shop about the hub rings. A number of people run hub rings for their wheels- it's not uncommon. The tech should have been observant enough to notice them.

OP, go back to the the tire shop, have them remove the rings, replace them if they're damaged, and re-align the car in good faith. And find a new tire shop.

[darkrom]

Originally Posted by cyphr

OP, go back to the the tire shop, have them remove the rings, replace them if they're damaged, and re-align the car in good faith. And find a new tire shop.

Well if they fix everything no hassle maybe keep the tire shop? If you can walk in and get a shop to own up to their mistakes no questions asked...never let go.

[PSEE]

moot, eh? I've been driving for more than 40 years and have not used hub
rings - and know of nobody who has.

If their usage is so common, please specify the "number". Of all the cars on the road, what percentage runs hub rings. I'll bet it's *extremely* small.


The point is that the tech in the shop may be very busy and may have missed
one or more rings. Further, the OP may have never applied anti-seize to his
hubs - of course you'll say that the tech's responsibility (where is the owner
responsible for anything?) - and the rings were already 'welded'/corroded to the
hubs. Maybe the other rings were stuck to the other two wheels and fell off
on the tire machine, dropped on the floor, etc.

Could any of this be missed in a NOISY, busy tire shop? You bet your a**!!!


So, get off your 'high horse' and face the fact that in situations like these, there is almost always MORE than one party that bears responsibility for the issue.


It's always 'sooo easy' to blame the shop, tech, vendor, etc.

[cyphr]

Originally Posted by darkrom

Well if they fix everything no hassle maybe keep the tire shop? If you can walk in and get a shop to own up to their mistakes no questions asked...never let go.

You're right. But from my experience, finding an honest shop that's willing to own up to their mistakes no questions asked is few and far between. If they do, then great. But I suspect some prodding may be involved in this case.

Originally Posted by PSEE

moot, eh? I've been driving for more than 40 years and have not used hub
rings - and know of nobody who has.

If their usage is so common, please specify the "number". Of all the cars on the road, what percentage runs hub rings. I'll bet it's *extremely* small.


The point is that the tech in the shop may be very busy and may have missed
one or more rings. Further, the OP may have never applied anti-seize to his
hubs - of course you'll say that the tech's responsibility (where is the owner
responsible for anything?) - and the rings were already 'welded'/corroded to the
hubs. Maybe the other rings were stuck to the other two wheels and fell off
on the tire machine, dropped on the floor, etc.

Could any of this be missed in a NOISY, busy tire shop? You bet your a**!!!


So, get off your 'high horse' and face the fact that in situations like these, there is almost always MORE than one party that bears responsibility for the issue.


It's always 'sooo easy' to blame the shop, tech, vendor, etc.

You need to relax. The only horses around here are under the hood of our cars.

Many large aftermarket companies (BBS, SSR, etc.) will make wheels with an oversized center bore. This allows them to save on manufacturing costs which lowers the consumer price while allowing for a greater diversity of vehicle applications. Hub centric rings are then used to center the wheel on the hub- This is a common practice. I'm sorry I can't give you exact figures of hub centric ring usage (kind of an outlandish proposal on your part in my opinion). If you are still unconvinced of their use then I suggest conducting your own research on the matter. If you can't find any resources let me know and I'll do my best to point you in the right direction.

Accidents happen, it's part of being human. Noise and car volume however are part of the job and are not valid excuses to cut corners. Maybe because I work in a profession where when you take shortcuts, people get hurt. Regardless, if I bring my car in for work and there's an issue, I expect the shop to call me to ask how they should proceed. This is just good business practice. If the tech actually noticed that the rings were corroded to the hub but ignored them anyway, then that would be even worse. But we're just postulating at this point so I digress.

OP, good luck with the shop. PM me if you want any recommendations for a new tire shop if you choose to switch.

-cyphr

[ska///235i]

I think checking the hub should be routine for a tire shop...I mean they change wheels every minute. I have to agree that op didnt use anti seize and the tech didnt give a shit and just put the wheel on.
Customer service doesnt exist anymore here in America, If you've been to other countries..you know what I'm talking about. This country is worst than some 3rd world countries I've been to...just saying

[dfv2]

Hub rings are *extremely* common on winter wheel setups due to mass production of the wheel molds. ANY shop worth their salt will be familiar with hub centric rings, especially in localities where summer/winter setup swaps are common.

So, yea call and give them an earful. You may prevent the tech in question from making the same mistake and causing some real harm.

@PSEE, I hope your defensiveness isn't due to some affiliation with a tire shop, because if it is and you aren't familiar with the common use of hub centric rings please call tire rack and ask for the winter wheel 101 course.

[darkrom]

Originally Posted by cyphr

You're right. But from my experience, finding an honest shop that's willing to own up to their mistakes no questions asked is few and far between. If they do, then great. But I suspect some prodding may be involved in this case.

Yeah they never just own up to it, so if a shop did I'd probably be thrilled to stick with them. Usually you would get a rant like the guy below who seems to think that their job is hard and therefore they don't need to be held accountable for the work. If you can't do the work you shouldn't get paid. If you are getting paid you should do the work right, or make it right when you fuck up. Regardless of what you use as an excuses (noise, alien invasion etc.)

[joe325i]

Originally Posted by darkrom

Yeah they never just own up to it, so if a shop did I'd probably be thrilled to stick with them. Usually you would get a rant like the guy below who seems to think that their job is hard and therefore they don't need to be held accountable for the work. If you can't do the work you shouldn't get paid. If you are getting paid you should do the work right, or make it right when you fuck up. Regardless of what you use as an excuses (noise, alien invasion etc.)

I thought I was the only one who thought like that??! If the shop ruined your wheels then they should replace them. Its not like you went to a shop that specifies in motor and transmission rebuilds to get your wheels swapped. Does said shop sell wheels? Then they should know about hubcentric rings.

[dave96dcm]

You should always check and clean hubs. Not seeing hub rings is just ignorant.